Rourkela: Striker Sukhjeet Singh struck a second-half brace as India stunned reigning world champions Germany 3-2 in the FIH Pro League hockey, their first outing after the World Cup debacle, here on Friday.
The 26-year-old Sukhjeet, one of the players who survived the axe after India’s shock pre-quarterfinal exit in the World Cup in January, scored in the 31st and 42nd minutes, both goals coming from field efforts.
His captain Harmanpreet Singh, joint top-scorer in the tournament so far, had given the home side the lead in the 30th minute through a penalty corner conversion at the Birsa Munda Stadium. Harmanpreet had also flopped big time during the World Cup held here and in Bhubaneswar as he had struggled to find the target from his drag flick in the big matches in the showpiece.
India were 3-0 up in the 42nd minute before Paul-Philipp Kaufmann and Michel Struthoff struck for Germany in the 44th and 57th minutes respectively.
The Germans, who came with several players from their World Cup-winning team, struggled to score from the penalty corners. They got six PCs as against four of India. The visitors got off to a strong start with five back-to-back PCs in the 10th minute but India held their nerves to defend all of them.
Striker Abhishek’s efforts in the circle in the later part of the second quarter finally brought the momentum India was vying for. Up until then, stray attempts by strikers Gurjant Singh and Dilpreet Singh -- both brought in to the team after missing the World Cup -- in the initial minutes of the game was put away by German keeper Alexander Stadler.
Abhishek’s quick thinking in his tackle to surge ahead inside the striking circle forced a German infringement that earned the home team its first PC of the match just before the half time.
Harmanpreet, who was retained as captain despite the sacking of head coach Graham Reid after the World Cup, was top class in his attempt.